Seeing Stars
by bibliosexual
Summary: "It was at this moment that I realized I was standing in close proximity to James Potter. And I wasn't trying to hex him." James and Lily. In Astronomy class. Need I say more? One Shot!


"Lily, that isn't Leo, that's Scorpius." Potter reached his hand out and moved the telescope slightly to the right. I squinted into the eye piece. The stars winked back at me, looking irritatingly similar to the ones I had been gazing at before.

"Shove off, Potter. I think I know a lion when I see one." I jerked the telescope back to where it had been before. Well, pretty much. It looked about the same, anyway.

Astronomy wasn't _exactly _one of my best subjects. I didn't know how to properly position a telescope, and if I ever managed to do so, I was lost on what I should be seeing.

But my dad loved astronomy. That was why he was forcing me to take it. So we could 'bond' or something when I came home for holiday.

Even with my dad's stargazing gene, I sucked at astronomy. Crabs looked like scales, rams looked like twins, and snakes looked like lions.

Did I mention James Potter was my partner? Yeah, I pretty much hated astronomy.

James smirked at me and ruffled his hair.

"Just because you're a Gryffindor doesn't mean you're some lion finding expert. You're looking at Scorpius, Lily-flower."

"Don't call me that." I muttered, glancing from the star map back to the eye piece. Potter was right. I was looking at a bloody serpent.

"Fine then," I huffed, and stood back from the telescope. "You find it, since you seem to be such an astronomy god."

"Gladly." He leaned forward, tilting the lens this way and that.

I did my best not to stare at his arse. Really, I did. But have you ever seen James Potter's bum? It's a thing of beauty, really, it is. Quidditch had done his body good.

I didn't get it. How did sitting on a broomstick whizzing about give a guy such beautiful abs? At the end of one Quidditch match, when James was doing a ridiculous happy dance with Sirius Black, his shirt lifted up and, well, let's just say I enjoyed the view.

"Evans." James said, and I jumped about five feet in the air.

_I was not thinking about your abs, I was not thinking about your abs, I was not thinking about your abs._

"Blimey, Evans," James laughed. "Do you get scared easily in the dark?"

_I was not thinking about your butt, I was not thinking about your butt, I was not thinking about your butt._

"If you get too scared just let me know. I'd be happy to provide you comfort." James offered. And then he smirked. And then his hand started to go towards his hair-

I elbowed him in the gut. His hand jerked down to his stomach and he grunted.

_Take that, ab muscles_, I though triumphantly and stepped towards the telescope.

I squinted into the eyepiece. "So that's Leo." I said. It looked nothing like a serpent. How did I manage to think that a snake could look like this?

"Yeah. Can you find Cancer now?" James asked.

"That's the one to the right that looks like a square with antlers, isn't it?"

"That's one way of describing it, yes." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I moved the telescope a little, and sure enough, there was Cancer. Who in their right mind thought that looked like a crab? Honestly. I rested my hands on my knees, pulling my skirt down as I did. I made a few sketches on the map, drawing in the constellation. James was uncharacteristically silent. Why was that? The quiet murmurs from the rest of the class and the shifting of maps in the breeze were the only things I could hear.

_Oh, Merlin_, I thought. _He's checking out my bum, isn't he? That slimy git! _Never mind the fact that I had just been doing the same thing, what he was doing was unacceptable!

_Why am I not stopping him?_ I thought. Normally I'd be seething by now. Launching into a Lily Rant about feminism and hormones. Instead, I stayed where I was. Did I like having James Potter check out my bum?

"So Venus should be right over there then, yeah?" I asked, trying to relieve whatever tension was in the air. Wait, no. There was no tension in the air. Because I had not checked out James. And James had not checked out me. And there was no tension. Absolutely none at all. And if there was, it definitely wouldn't be sexual.

James was slow to respond. "Down a little bit."

"What?" I asked, jerking it upwards. _Nice_,_ Lily. Really intelligent._

"No," James said. He stepped closer to me and reached his hand around to reposition the telescope. There were a few inches between us, but I could tell exactly where the contours of his chest and stomach were. I tried not to shiver. "Right about… there." He let his hand drop, and it brushed against my waist on its journey to his side.

I looked into the telescope.

"See it?" James asked.

I squinted up into the sky. I saw too many stars to make just one distinguishable.

"No." I said honestly.

"Look," James pointed into the sky. "It's that one. The really bright one. See?"

I stood up straight to get a similar view point. I turned this way and that, but once I was facing James and tilting my head toward the sky I could see it. Venus. It looked pretty spectacular.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I do."

It was at this moment that I realized I was standing in close proximity to James Potter. And I wasn't trying to hex him.

I didn't move to look through the telescope, and James didn't back away.

"It's a rather pretty planet, Venus." James commented. He took a half step closer to me.

"Yes, very beautiful." I replied, looking him straight in the eye.

James' hazel eyes wavered from mine. Just for a moment. Down to my lips, I was sure of it.

James Potter was going to kiss me.

I glanced down at his lips. Just for a second. They looked nice. Definitely kissable.

James tilted his head.

He was going to kiss me. And I was going to let him.

I tilted my head too, and leaned toward him. My eyes fluttered shut.

And then there was a loud noise. Like a squeak, but maybe a scream.

James and I leapt apart from each other like we had been shocked. Various heads in the tower whipped around, looking for the source of the noise.

I found it first, and I tried not to scowl. It was Marlene. She was giggling. Sirius stood beside her, a wolfish grin on his face.

Ah. So Marlene had been fondled by Sirius. Good for her. I wonder if they knew that they had ruined my chance of kissing James Potter. Bloody prats. They didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

"All right now. Everyone back to work." Professor Sinistra barked. Everyone turned their focus to the stars.

I sighed and looked back at James. His face mirrored the weary expression that was on my own. _I should say something_, I realized. If only I knew what. We stood in awkward silence for several awkward moments.

James spoke first.

"All right, Evans?"

I smiled slowly at him.

"Just fine, Potter."

**Author's Note: **I'm not sure what I think about this one. It's probably because it's four in the morning and I need to go to bed. So that's my excuse for this one being horrible. I'm sleep deprived.

Thanks so much to everyone who read my story Much Needed Justice. You guys are awesome.

So, yeah. That's about it. Bye! *waves*

-Kate


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